Calpack
/ˈkæl.pæk/noun
A traditional tall cap or hat associated especially with Central Asian peoples.
Did you know?The word entered English through travel and ethnographic writing, reflecting how European languages often respelled unfamiliar Central Asian clothing terms by sound.
Etymological Timeline
Medieval period
Turkic
qalpaq
“A cap or hat; the probable ancestral form of the later regional variants.”
Early modern period
Kazakh/Turkic
qalpaq
“A traditional head covering, especially one associated with Central Asian peoples.”
18th Century
Russian/European usage
kalpak
“A Central Asian cap or hat, recorded in forms used by travelers and scholars.”
1780s
English
calpac
“A cap worn in Central Asia; an English spelling closer to the source pronunciation.”
19th Century
English
calpack
“A tall or distinctive Central Asian hat, with the spelling altered by English usage.”
Modern English
English
calpack
“A historical term for a traditional Central Asian cap or hat.”